The present invention relates to a linear slide bearing. In the sliding portions of the numerical controlled machine tools and industrical robots, linear slide bearings are used to linearly guide the sliding members.
In the coventional linear slide bearing of this type (as is known in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,296,974, 4,253,709 and 4,348,064), the bearing races, functioning as the moving table carrier member, are each fixed to the arms of the slide table on which the sliding member is mounted. Each bearing race is formed with a no-load ball returning through-hole which constitute a part of the endless ball track.
However, the linear slide bearings with the above construction requires the no-load ball returning holes to be cut through the bearing races. This adds to the complexity of machining and it is therefore difficult to manufacture the bearing with low cost. Further, since the bearing races are each fixed to the arms of the slide table by screws, they must be mounted separately requiring many processes. The bearing races also requires mounting holes to be cut. Moreover, since the bearing needs quenching, there is a possibility of the mounting holes being cracked during the quenching process.